What happens if you die without a will?

Dear Readers,

I never tire from talking about wills and how important it is to have an updated will.

I have been in practice for over 18 years. In those years, I have prepared thousands of wills for clients. As I get older, I realise that those clients who have had wills prepared by myself are also getting older. I recently attended a funeral for one of these old clients. It was lucky that a will had been prepared as it will save the family a lot of anguish. Have a look at this article from Perth Woman which deals with the question of what happens if no will is prepared.

Spouse Migration Tips

Dear Readers,

I would like to share with you my latest article in the PerthWoman magazine.

It deals with the issue of spouse migration and tips on how to ensure you succeed in getting your loved one into the country.

Having been a registered migration for over 18 years, I have seen my fair share of cases where the Department of Immigration (in it's various forms and name sake) have separated loved ones through their red tape.

Many genuine couples have been separated by the Department of Immigration because the couples are not familiar with how the Department officers think. I hope this article will set you thinking about the best way to get your loved one by your side.

Do feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Proud Father of 2 boys who are Tae Kwon Do black belts

Tyzton's black belt day

Yes, after years of training my 2 sons aged 10 and 12 are both holders of black belts in Tae Kwon Do.

Jazton , my 12 year old son got his black belt at the age of 10 yrs on 16 December 2006.

His younger brother Tyzton recently achieved his black belt on 28 June 2008 also at the age of 10 yrs.

All of their training and achievement can only be attributed to the patience of my mother in law, (bless her). She drove them to all the classes and sat through hrs and hrs of training before my sons graduated.

As a token of her achievement and sacrifice, my family is getting a picture frame done with all the belts obtained by the boys before reaching the color black. That frame will be dedicated to my mother in law.

Again, what has that got to do with the law?

I suppose it is harder to assess the standard and quality of a lawyer as they do not award belts to show the public the level of the lawyer's expertise.

So, how do you decide who to appoint as a lawyer when you need one. Well, have a look at the article written by myself for the PerthWoman magazine entitled a "Date with a Lawyer". That's in my previous blog. Hopefully that answers some questions.

I hope my boys read this blog so they will know how proud they made their father when they both got their TKD black belts.

Binding financial agreements or Prenups

Of late,I have had numerous requests for information on binding financial agreements. They are the equivalent of pre nuptial or post nuptial agreements. The laws allowing such agreements to be signed are quite recent and there have not been many cases on the issue.

Please find an article from Perth Woman which answers some questions.

If you need advice, see a lawyer to protect your interest and save you money.

Raymond Tan

Article in Perth Woman Magazine

Dear Readers

What issues do you consider when you are faced with a property settlement problem in your marriage?

What is a defacto relationship?

Do I go for mediation?

These are some of the questions that were asked in my latest article in Perth Woman.

Please have a read and email me at my free email legal advice section of my webpage at www.tanandtanlawyers.com.

Holiday in Japan

Yes, I have been away from work and my blog. The family spent some time in Japan last week. It was a great holiday. Tokyo is awesome. The crowds in the street are amazing when you compare Perth WA.

I took a 6 day tour organised from Singapore. I actually met a couple of guys who were from my secondary school, Gan Eng Seng Secondary School. It was uncanny. Here's to Choy and Loo. It was great meeting up and talking about our alma mater.

I also met a couple of business prospects in Japan regarding trade mark applications.

Midori was most helpful. I also enjoyed talking to Mr Yajima and Mr Yuhara. They are the typical Japanese mid level management staff. Their outlook on Japanese life was most interesting.

Pictures of Midori, Mr Yajima and Mr Yuhara are here.

It was good discussing the different aspects of life experienced by the Japanese as compared to Australians.

What was most amazing was the food that you can taste in Japan. Each train stop usually leads to a Japanese supermarket which has several levels of food stalls which are frequented by commuters. These commuters logically do not have time to cook a meal and hence resort to takeaways. The only thing is that their takeaways are art compared to ours. Have a look at the picture and video of a typical stall.

The history and culture of the Japanese can only be rivaled by the Chinese. There are temples which are 2000 years old.

The gardens are the most impressive I have seen in my travels. I have added some pictures of the gardens as they are so beautiful.

However having said all that, it was good to return to Australia which is my home. There is nothing like the warmth of your own bed.

So until my next break, here's back to work.